Welcome!

Welcome to our webtext on multimodal instruction. This webtext argues for the use of multimodal instruction to design online writing courses with digital tools to deliver instructional content and facilitate feedback. We define multimodal instruction as the use of multiple modes of representation—including animation, verbal instruction, and written text—to maximize students' learning about the critical considerations required when designing and constructing multimodal texts. We believe students who are asked to produce multimodal composition assignments should be engaged with instructional content of appropriate uses of multimodal materials.

This webtext is structured much like what students experience when they enter our online composition course, The Writers' Studio. We are leveraging the metaphor of a learning management system (LMS) course shell to provide praxis for multimodal instruction via the Webtext tab and to illustrate multimodal instruction in the form of supplemental materials with corresponding student examples in the Appendices tab. We offer a theoretical framework, justifying the use of multimodal instruction, and provide recommendations for teachers who would like to integrate multimodal instruction into the writing classroom. Additionally, we provide an illustration of multimodal instruction through analyses of example student projects. We offer methods for navigating challenges of adopting multimodal instruction. To begin the webtext, visit the introduction to learn why we used multimodal instruction to design our online composition courses. Note: Each link opens in a separate window, and readers can close out by clicking the "X" at the bottom right-hand side of the page.